Latent Print Unit

The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office Latent Print Unit (LPU) examiners play a vital role in the investigation, identification, and conviction of criminal offenders.  

In 2011, the LPU processed 6,178 items of evidence, examining each for latent fingerprints. The examiners use physical and chemical processes to develop and enhance the prints. Once a print is developed the examiner must evaluate it to determine if it is suitable for identification by the Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS). Manual identifications are also performed on partial prints, palm prints and footprints. After processing the evidence, LPU made 1,304 AFIS identifications and 701 manual identifications.
 

Thousands of individual prints are identified each year by the LPU. For more than 100 years police agencies have used fingerprints as a viable means of identification. Fingerprints do not change over a person's lifetime, and they are unique to each individual.

For more about fingerprints and latent print identification, go to www.fdiai.org, www.aafs.org, www.theiai.org or,
 

Contact Us:

Jacksonville Sheriff's Office

Latent Print Unit

711 N. Liberty St.

Jacksonville, Florida 32202

(904) 630-2974